Lesson 8: Complex Sentences

Complex Sentences and Subordinating Conjunctions

In terms of grammatical structure, there are four types of sentences:

(1) simple sentence,

(2) compound sentence,

(3) complex sentence and

(4) compound complex sentence.

In terms of grammatical forms, there the following four tiers:

（1）words,

（2）phrase,

（3）subordinate clause, and

（4）sentence.

A subordinate clause on tier (3) needs an appropriate subordinate conjunction to connect to an independent clause. The sentence thus formed is a complex sentence.

There can be three types of subordinate conjunctions. The three types of subordinate conjunctions used in complex sentences are listed below:

The w-words who, whom, which, whose, what, why and how constitute a special group of subordinate conjunctions. The subordinate clauses they introduce are the relative clauses.

Dual-Faceted Relative Clauses

There are two types of relative clauses, restrictive relative clauses and non-restrictive relative clauses. A restrictive relative clause provides essential identifying information about which it refers. A non-restrictive relative clause, however, is non-essential. Among these eight words, who, whom, whose, which and that are relative pronouns, and when, where and who are relative adverbs.

What makes a complex sentence complicated that it is dual-faceted. It has an intrinsic facet and an extrinsic facet.

(1) What makes the w-word a relative pronoun, a relative adjective or a or relative adverb

depends solely on the role the w-word plays WITHIN the relative clause itself. It is

intrinsic.

It is a matter of parts of speech of the w-word in the relative clause itself.

(2) In contrast, what makes the relative clause a noun clause, an adjective clause or an

adverb clause depends instead on the grammatical function the relative clause assumes in the complex sentence AS A WHOLE. It is extrinsic.

It is a matter of syntax of the complex sentence as a whole.

In the following sections, examples of relative noun clause, relative adjective clause and relative adverb clause are discussed with respect to their intrinsic and extrinsic facets.

Relative Noun Clauses

The relative noun clause is embedded in in a simple sentence as shown below:

Relative Adjective Clauses

Here below we consider examples of relative adjective clauses.

More Adverb Clauses

Adverb clauses in complex sentences introduced by subordinate conjunctions other than relative adverbs are presented in italics as shown below:

(c) 2019 Augustine C. Chen